Tag: Elizabeth Webber

Clearly, becoming a Quartermaine has made Michael SMARTER! He has seen through Lord Larry in record time, dumped his duplicitous parents, and stopped accepting excuses from everyone who keeps claiming they want to love and protect him – while plotting to keep him in the dark about the “fundamental truth of his life”. Sonny killed his father and was aided and abetted by his mother. Taking a life is such an inhuman act, even on soaps. To have it treated as a minor altercation was mind blowing, so I’m glad that the writers have finally stopped treating the violence on the show as commonplace and trivial. Watching Michael turn his back on his parents was a thing of beauty (and I say this as someone who LONG ago supported Sonny and Carly protecting Michael from AJ). Sonny and Carly were never innocents, and AJ was never all bad, but there was a point at which they were able to be parents and deserved to love Michael without the constant threat of losing him… then came the kidnappings, and presumed deaths, and the violence that was so outrageous it lead to Michael falling into a coma after a bullet meant for Sonny landed in his brain. That was followed up by Michael’s enforcer dreams, Michael taking a life, a prison sentence, and sexual violation. It became impossible for me to see how they could ever be considered anything other than an unmitigated disaster in that kid’s life.

If we were having this conversation out loud, you might be tempted to tell me that: Franco was responsible for Michael’s rape (or more like Franco’s associate). Faith Rosco kidnapped Michael. Claudia was responsible for Michael’s coma and for the fact that he ended up taking her life. Yeah, got all of that… and yet all of it is tied to the fact that these were people gunning for his father, aimed at hurting his father and mother, and Michael became “collateral damage” along the way. At no point was Sonny ever allowed by the writers to show growth and put his family before lifestyle… yes, he tried to break free and couldn’t because of the power vacuum it created and the additional risk to his children… got it… the writers could have had Sonny leave his family and watch over them from a distance. They didn’t. In Sonny Corinthos they created a character who is loathsome, selfish, vain, and hateful despite his dimples (shame on Lucy and Felicia). By the time he got around to daily threatening to kill a pregnant Ava once her child was born, he was done, in my book.

It felt good to watch AJ ‘s son walk away from the dark, unsalvageable, things his parents became. Carly faulted Franco for Michael’s rape… and then fell in love with him… and then threw the rape of her son in his face when he exposed her as a cheat and liar. Was Michael’s pain never in her mind before that? Every time that man touched her did she not feel sick thinking of what happened to her son? Was Michael’s rape a weapon she was waiting to use any time they had a disagreement? Franco becomes angry that she didn’t do the dishes so she tells him she’s still mad he was responsible for her son’s rape? I’m guessing it would have also been a useful argument in getting him to mow the lawn, take down the Christmas tree, do laundry, etc.

Michael’s emotional upset at watching her get close to Franco was never the tipping point? Carly’s “love” for Franco, and willingness to marry him, was more about protecting Sonny than making sure Michael did not have to re-live one of the worst times in his short life – and there have been so many awful times for that child. She even allowed her son to be the best man at their failed wedding. What kind of mother does that? She continues to say that Franco blew her family apart, not Sonny’s depraved act of killing AJ. It was Franco, not the fact that she lied and put herself between her son and the truth for Sonny’s sake. Nope. It’s all Franco. Useless. Carly’s lack of insight into the damage she’s caused to others is frightening. It was entertaining when she was young. It’s migraine inducing as she ages. Ages is supposed to bring wisdom. Instead, it only seems to bring gag inducing helpings of stupidity and cruelty for Carly. She becomes more selfish in time, not less.

In a soap-to-soap mashup? I would expect a “worst mother/daughter/sister” of the year face off between GH’s Carly, BnB’s Brooke Logan, and DAYS’ Sami Brady. I think the title would be a fight to the finish between Brooke and Carly, or at least a tie.

Oddly enough, only Sonny seems to be experiencing any true remorse. Carly is still raging at the world and trying to force her son to love her and respect her again (a right I think she’s given up by protecting Sonny when even she should have been disgusted with him). Sonny is willing to suffer the consequences of his betrayal of AJ’s son, the child he made a promise to love and protect, long ago, finally realizing that he allowed his hatred for AJ, disguised as love for Connie, mattered more than every day he ever spent raising and nurturing Michael. At least the writers have allowed Sonny to show some insight into his behavior. I don’t think they will ever allow Carly to grow up and learn that her actions have consequences. I no longer care if they do. I will simply cherish the moments of seeing handcuffs slapped on Carly and having her spend some time behind bars. While I see zero hope for Carly, I do see hope for Sonny (if the constantly swirling rumors of Maurice Benard’s leaving aren’t true). I don’t want Sonny in Michael’s life again, but I would love for the writers to take this opportunity to reinvent Sonny. Let him be someone completely different from the man he has been all these years. Benard is such a gifted actor with so many more stories he could help tell, I hope that happens, for the sake of the show and its fans.

What I love most?

There is one more Quartermaine in the world of Port Chuckles, and after losing Alan, Lila, Edward, and Tracy, I am happy to see Michael back in the fold. What’s that? Tracy hasn’t passed away? She may as well be gone, given her repeated betrayal of her family and her willingness to put them all at risk for the sake of “love” for a man she clearly doesn’t know well enough to realize that something is wrong and that the man she married couldn’t stand her touch. Even Liz and Sam are picking up the “NuJase is OldJase” vibes. Eh, I’ll save all of that for another blog, another time. Maybe I’ll be able to soon blog about the return of Jason Quartermaine, one day soon!

It’s no secret that I think General Hospital is blowing the rest of daytime out of the water! I said so here –> Why You Should Be Watching General Hospital. I received a very interesting counterpoint from writer, Ilona Saari. (More about Ilona at the end of this post). I thought the response was so interesting that I’d like to share it with you. It’s a different kind of GH love letter:

I only wish I thought the show was as good as you do. But I’m glad to see it from you prospective. Granted, it is far superior to the Pratt/Guza Penthouse 4 years, but when Guza took back the reigns, it began to get better w/ humor (Diane was created), wonderful returns of old characters (Robin) and wonderful pairings (Scrubs) – his problem as a writer was that he would come up w/ great story ideas and beginnings, then develop ADD and not be able to follow thru… Wolf, the strike scab, was just a plain disaster… Then Ron and Frank came, and at first they did wonders and I loved the integration of the OLTL characters.

But, alas, that didn’t last as OLTL-ABC and Frank/Ron became embattled in copyright garbage and egos. The show suffered as Ron hadn’t a clue had to deal w/ it all storywise, so it was dealt w/ badly. The lst return of the Nurse’s Ball was an unmitigated disaster w/ a cheezy set that looked like the ball was being held in a church basement to the embarrassment of Richard Simmons.

Then when the OLTL mess was over, Ron decides to bring back Roger as Franco. God Lord, that was an insane creative choice. This wonderful actor could have been anyone… a new Q, a Cassadine, a Webber or Spencer even a white Ward… but nooooo. The brain tumor explanation was just plain lazy writing. And Carly would never, ever be w/ Franco after what happened to Michael.

Letting Jax go, the last white knight really (except for Patrick) was a huge mistake – Carly and Jax could have grown into the Rachel/Mac of AW of GH… They were a mature, sexy, dynamic couple, imo. Carly was softened, but not made soft, by her love for Jax.

Bringing Nik back, however, was a smart move and his love affair w/ Britt (and her redemption) has been the best thing about GH since the show fell back into disrepair during last year’s Nurse’s Ball.

The Cassadine/Obrecht/Faison/Duke/Anna stuff was was too cartoonish and has fallen totally flat for me as a writer – Masks, masks everywhere. I’m sorry – once was enough – then again w/ Anna and Obrecht? Oy. And now what – again w/ fLuke – I hope not. But this fLuke storyline is just cringe-worthy tho I’m sure TG is having a ball. If he’s really Bill Eckart or Damian Smith, as rumor has it, neither would be jonzing after Kiki or be so creepy a sexual predator… If it’s Damian – did he have his face made like Luke if he survived the fire? Is it yet another mask? I don’t care. I FF thru all TG’s scene and have never done so before – ever. I just want Ron to stop writing Tracy as an old, lonely woman who will believe anything to keep Luke – and just end this miserable story. Tracy and Luke are dynamite together — this story is just an embarrassment to all involved. But at least I got to see Ned. I wish Frank would bite the bullet and bring back Ned. I don’t want the Qs to vanish — they are our look into John Cheever country, always have been, and I love that family – but all recent head writers of the show seem to want to demolish them… and now Ron is building up a new “core” mob family w/ the Jeromes.

I won’t even go into Obrecht and how I also find her existence at the head of the hospital one of the laziest pieces of writing Ron has done.

I do love Julian and Ava, tho — again for many, many reasons and I love that Julian is Sam and Lucas’ father – fun. I hated the courtship w/ Alexis tho where she was flirty like a teenage virgin. What a waste of Alexis. Tho now that they’re together, I like their chemistry. I just hope the writing becomes more interesting on how these two will work.

I am also thrilled that Ric’s back, tho his relationship w/ Liz never cut it with me. His courtship and marriage to Alexis til Guza ruined Ric did. Their bantering and love was GH’s version of Tracy/Hepburn and I loved them together. That said, I do not want a Nik/Liz rerun – I want Nik and Britt to find their way back to each other — they are very hot together.

I did think Jordan was undercover from the beginning, but I do like her addition to the show as long as Ron is not setting her up to replace Anna because he wants to get rid of Finola.

Levi is another embarrassment. Obrecht and Donna Mills being sisters,, etc., etc. Say what??? Trying to make another instant family w/ Nathan and Britt and Obrecht at the expense of who?

The show is bloated w/ characters and no one was more mistreated than Sean Kanan — Ron so botched his return and decided to throw AJ under the bus much the way Guza did after AJ had become such a fascinating “Sidney Carton” character well on his way to redemption. The killing of AJ was a disappointment and only serves to give MB more angst moments and a shot at an Emmy. But then to let the story just dangle somewhere in space for weeks, again – sloppy, lazy writing.

Ron does that a lot. He starts a story and then you’re left for weeks til it becomes part of the canvas again. He doesn’t seem to know how to write the three story arc traditional in soaps in a weekly fashion, so if a viewer doesn’t like one story, s/he gets a bit of the ones s/he does like on a weekly basis.

Sabrina and Patrick are a mess as a storyline… and her character has been shoved down our throat for too long – she’s a dolt and a bore and she’s dragged the character of Patrick down w/ her. And Carrrrrrlos. Don’t get me started.

Thank God Maxie’s back! Our own Carole Lombard — is Nathan her Clark? He might be. he has the look. And I love the way he looks at her.

Duke, OTOH, is a yawn. Anna has no chemistry w/ him anymore. Robert should have been the one to stay at GH, not Duke. And Robert in this disaster of a fLuke story, might have saved it.

Well, if you’ve read this far – I will end on an ‘up’ note. I still love GH — and do think the show’s better now than a few years ago — and I think it’s getting better again from all the mistakes Ron made last year… and I agree about the diversity — It’s been seamless and I love that. It’s about time.

Ilona Saari is a former speechwriter, deputy press secretary, and is the author of the political thriller Freeze Frame, available on Amazon. FYI, you Foodies out there, our author also writes her own blog featuring the most amazing recipes and travel adventures you’ll find anywhere! Read more at “My Dinners with Richard“. It’s more than worth your time – I believe you’ll thank me for it!

While Ilona and I may not agree 100%, I love having such a well seasoned, meaty, opinion to give me something to think about. I’d like to thank my talented friend for keeping my feet on the ground, because I do love GH enough to put my blinders on and keep lowing it “as is”. Complacency kills in any creative field.

Shhhh… don’t tell her, but I still think that this show is the best in daytime.

Sabrina… I just can’t. I want to be empathetic, and yet I just keep hoping there aren’t too many Sabrina/Patrick scenes to fast foward.

Elizabeth and Ric? Sweet, Subtle, feels so real. I love them. Given the way Ric left the show with each exit, it’s sometimes difficult to remember how sweet and kind he’s capable of being. Ric is Mr. Right Now, Mr. Right Tomorrow, and Mr. Right Whenever-Wherever – as far as I’m concerned. I’ve always loved Rick Hearst best when he was playing a romantic lead (GH’s Ric Lansing, GL’s Alan Michael Spaulding, BnB’s Whipple Jones).

Lulu/Dante./Rocco- Big Ben? Ditto. Sweet, Subtle, Real. Given his pedigree, I love that Dante is so protective of Ben that he doesn’t want to talk about the worst of the worst aspects of his job. He has to spell out D-E-A-D because he doesn’t want Rocco to hear the word. Keep that baby away from your father and bar ware, Dom.

F’luke and his disregard for forensic evidence is astounding. He never wears gloves. He never does anything in hiding. Unless he planned on killing Bobbie and the cutie pants officer guarding Lucas’ door, what was the point of attempting to kill Lucas while being the last person in the room? Add that the fact that his hand and finger prints are all over Lucas’ breathing tube – as his prints are all over the gun that was used to shoot Lucas and kill the hitman. F’luke’s crime spree is getting stranger and and stranger, and I hope that’s intentional – serving as an indicator that he’s on a rampage and will soon be caught.

Ava.. F’LOVE… I effin’ love Ava and the writing for her! She utters the words, “Mr. Corinthos is sending someone for me” to her server at about the time Carly is going to play audio evidence of her guilt in Connie/Kate’s murder? Methinks she’ll see Sonny, in person.

Carly has never had a respect for the law, decency, morality or ethics, but it shocks me that she would steal AJ’s phone (yeah, it still shocks me) and give Sonny the info, rather turn the recording over to the police. Sonny is going to end up in prison one way or another. He’s either going for killing AJ or for killing Ava. Carly doesn’t always know what crimes Sonny has committed, but she’s been in his life long enough to know that he’s almost never innocent. Her involvement in pointing Sonny in Ava’s direction is reckless, no matter what.

Ava is a beast… she’s reading “Crimson Magazine”? She is a beast (and I’m not quite sure how I mean that. It’s both good and bad.) She must really like dancing on Connie’s grave! This is Maura West as ATWT’s Carly Tenney, defiling the sacred Snyder pond by flicking a cigarette into it. What is it about MW’s bad girl characters, who seem to like sticking it to the people she hurts. No cardboard cut out of Connie for target practice? Ava is showing some restraint.

I get it… my beloved Scotty Baldwin is the AJ Quartermaine of the Baldwin family. He’s a perennial screw up, but even he should have held his ground and been willing to call Julian’s bluff rather than had him set free. Scotty is capable of being a bad ass, when he wants (that is, when the writers let him). I wish this was one of those times. How much has Julian changed when he’s willing to pull a gut punch like this one? I realize that he was desperate to get to Lucas and saved him from Fluke, but had he told the truth, he could have done more for his family. His behavior makes me question Alexis’ judgement even more – both as a mother and as a woman. For all of her warnings to Molly about being smart, making good choices, putting her future first, Alexis does none of these things when she’s in love with her latest mob kingpin boyfriend. What can Molly learn from her? It also doesn’t make sense that Shawn was irredeemable for not being able to leave Sonny’s organization and yet Julian is far worse.

More Sabrina/Patrick/Emma/baby Drake? Still can’t.

Ava trying to convince anyone, most especially her own daughter, of her innocence is hilarious! Kiki chastising Ava for sleeping with her boyfriend’s father is even funnier! Adding Ilene Kristen as Ava’s mother to this pair? That is a stroke of genius.

HA, that Carly finally notes that A.J. is not AJ Quartermaine but Ava Jerome. Sonny realizes that AJ was pleading for his life and that he’s killed an innocent man. How will the writers redeem him? Can Sonny be redeemed after this? My guess is that we will find out that Sonny didn’t deliver the final blow. It’s another Fluke murder (again taking place in the hospital) or someone else has taken A.J.’s life when he should have been on the mend. The problem is that A.J. would never have been in the hospital to be murdered if it weren’t for Sonny. The additional step they’ll have to take is to convince the audience that A.J. was slated for death no matter where he was found. Will it work, or is it possible that the writers have gone too far, this time? A.J. has rarely been a chaacter i liked or loved (I couldn’t stomach Billy Warlock’s portrayal of the character) BUT he was a legacy character and I wish he’d survived this ugly attack.

Even when Sonny is dead wrong, Carly tells him to stop blaming himself. Is this goober serious? She’s angrier at Ava for upsetting Sonny than she is at Sonny for killing an innocent AJ? Michael should stop sending Mother’s Day cards. No phone calls, no Mother’s Day luncheons. Carly is more of a partner to Sonny, even separated, than she has ever been a mother to any of her children.

Geez, it seems like such a small issue – Lulu wanting to carry her own child, but it is potentially, so big. Lulu is willing to risk losing the only shot (for now) she and Dante have at having another child, because she wants to carry the child herself, knowing the risk for miscarriage. Is it simply natural to want to carry a child at any cost or is it selfish? It’s a question for this couple to answer, but I have to wonder, given Dante’s lean toward surrogacy, if this is an issue that will come between them, later.

Fluke, threatening babies. PLEASE let that bastard be caught soon. Sure, go after Ava, but the threats against children make me want to see this guy get his! The writers were brilliant to have Fluke play on Julian’s insecurities (most notably, the fear that Anna hates “Jules” and wants to bring him down so badly that he shouldn’t count on her for help. There’s no way Anna would allow Fluke, or anyone else, to kill Julian while he’s in her care, but he doesn’t know that.

Elizabeth and Ric are my shelter from the storm of crazy that is GH. Just watching them joke and plan for a dinner feels like a romantic getaway. I know there will have to be some sort of conflict, soon, such as Liz wanting Nik back the minute he’s together with Britt again, happy and probably planning a family. For now, I’ll take what I can get.

Ok, the only interesting thing about Sabrina and Patrick is that Drake becomes her son’s middle name? Is that a subtle tell that he is Patrick’s son? Is baby Gabriel going to make it? Gabriel Drake Drake? I dunno.

Ava thinks that she and Sonny are on decent terms. I can’t wait to see her run into Sonny’s arms, thinking he’s there to rescue her. Carly asking Sonny what he’s going to do is as maze dull as anyone could be. She gave her “snitches get stitches” speech to Sonny when explaining why she would never go to the police. What was the point of her asking Sonny what he was going to do. Of COURSE he is going to kill Ava. Is there any doubt about that? Isn’t that why he killed AJ? His belief that AJ killed Connie? Carly and Sonny have played this game for too long!

Like many of you, my feed was disrupted by the President’s comments and ending the war in Afghanistan – so we end, here, and move on to other important news. I will see you again, soon.

…if you’re not already a fan! If you think this blog reads like a love letter to #GH, you’re damned right it is! This show is not just good, it is the best it has been in a very long time! Why should you watch? I could give you as many reasons as there are cast members, but here are my big four:

1 – Balance, balance, and more balance.

When I last walked away from General Hospital as a consistent viewer, lead and supporting characters were one of three types: Mobsters, Mob Molls, or Mob affiliated. Having more than 35 years invested in this soap, I can remember when the show was about family drama and intrigue, romance and mystery. I see so much more of that now than before the mob takeover. Ric Lansing is back and he’s sworn off his former mob ties. At least for now, the story is that he has come back to reconnect with the only woman who ever truly loved him and who wasn’t looking for a life on the edge. Hell, he WAS the edge the last time he and Elizabeth were together. In scenes that I love like sunshine, we also see him back and reconnecting with his daughter Molly, whose only father figure has been her uncle and Ric’s brother, Sonny Corinthos. Keep in mind that Sonny was also her mother’s former lover, the father of one of her sisters, and the former lover of another sister. The mob was so well integrated into the show that even family members were sleeping with and having children with the same mob boss (yeah, yeah, Sam didn’t know that Alexis was her mother, at the time). Bigger twist? Sam’s child with Sonny is delivered stillborn and provides the stem cells that Kristina, his daughter with Alexis, needs to survive.

You need a truckload of Advil and at least 12 of your 14 vacation days to pull apart the twisted family tree GH writers created in order to sell the mob storyline.

The mob had become so important that even Justus Ward, whose family was made up of prominent social activists in the Port Chuckles community, became another mob mouthpiece. He eventually lost his life and was stuffed in the trunk of a car, as a result of his affiliation with Sonny Corinthos and Jason Morgan (Jason being a cousin to Justus). It lacked dignity and was shockingly bad given the history of the Ward family. The Ward family was part of the extended Quartermaine family but respected in their own right before the Q connection. Prior to the writers’ belief that “mob magic” was so potent that fans would root for almost all characters to fall under the spell of Sonny and the various mob kingpins, I had hope that Justus, as the remaining onscreen Ward family member, would be spared.

The ultimate betrayal of fan trust came, for me, when Jasper “Jax” Jacks was deconstructed, transitioning from an educated ruthless billionaire corporate raider, to a man on the run from both Sonny’s empire of aggression and from the law for daring to protect his and Carly’s duaghter, Josslyn. From what you ask? From living her life in the path of a stray bullet that was almost as likely to take her life, as the bullet that put big brother Michael Corinthos in a coma – stealing his childhood and most of his adolescence. Michael spent years, after waking up, dealing with recovering from that stray bullet. The bullet and resulting coma pushed his childhood kidnapping out of contention as the worst thing to ever happen to him. Damn that Jasper Jacks for not realizing that kidnapping and bullets to the head can be character builders for children, not just childhood trauma!

Now? That sort of storytelling appears to be long gone! Even the introduction of Parry Shen’s “Brad” is not a celebration of mob life. Brad Cooper is the son, and grandson, of 80’s Asian Quarter mob kingpins. Brad enters as a (mostly) upstanding citizen, barely shadier than the rest of Port Chuckles’ residents. For now he has sworn off his mob family history and is a GH physician. It was touch and go at the beginning of his introduction, but he is currently in the same hot mess so many of our PC citizens find themselves in. Instead of mob molls and mob affiliated characters, we’re back to honest business leaders, police officers who aren’t on the take, as well as (and this will surprise you) drama at General Hospital that is about the hospital, nurses, and the doctors! Shocking, I know.

Even more shocking? I find myself liking Sonny, more, now that the GH universe is no longer centered around canonizing GH’s resident mob boss. There are many stories to be told in Port Charles and the writers are making sure they tell as many of them as they can.

F’Love

2. Diversity is a real thing on GH and not just something the cool kids are trying.

From the Asian Quarter, to Tom and Simone Hardy, to the introduction of the Ward family followed by Miguel/Lily/Sonny, GH has struggled with integrating diverse characters into the show in a way that is neither stereotypical nor exaggerated. The Ward family marks, for me, GH’s first real, and nearly successful, attempt at getting it right, including the Jason/Keisha/AJ triangle:

Now? Diversity on GH is not about check boxes and clunky integration. Diversity just IS on this show, it’s organic. Characters aren’t remarkable/ good/ evil/frontburner, because they can be used to show that daytime is finally catching up with the rest of the world. Diverse characters and their families on GH aren’t getting airtime for the publicity they bring a show. They are seamlessly integrated into the show and their time spent on air is character driven, not storyline driven! Their lives are about the characters themselves and not about the reaction of others around them.

Brad/Felix/Lucas. Like any triangle, there are winners and losers. Both Felix and Lucas have been betrayed by Brad, so watching them grow closer feels right. The writers have handled this one perfectly. I want Felix and Lucas to become a real couple, but like any couple brought together out of betrayal and hurt feelings, I have to wonder if either (or both) will end up waking up one morning wanting Brad back. While that would crush my love for Felix and Lucas – which I will survive, I know that I can accept it because it is no different than what takes place with any other triangle. I am thrilled that their storyline isn’t about helping any of the three overcome bigotry-inflicted shame, and that it’s not about being closeted and fearful. There is a time and place for that type of storytelling, but there is also room for the stories of others -those whose sexuality is not about morbid fascination from the outside. Brad/Felix/Lucas are telling a story about conflict, love, anger and forgiveness. I am impressed.

Jordan/Shawn. I’ll admit it. I’m on record stating that the glow Jordan gives is not a halo but hellfire. I thought that Shawn would have been smart to run in the opposite direction whenever he saw Jordan coming. I was wrong. I was SO VERY wrong. What I love most about Jordan and Shawn, is that their storyline is almost 30 years in the making. Do they remind you of anyone else? For me Jordan/Shawn/TJ are the 2000s version of Anna/Robert/Robin. It’s not an exact retelling, but it’s close enough. I have been longing for a return to the WSB and it’s glory days and GH is giving it to me by the bucket full… it’s just a little more understated. Jordan/Anna comes to town with a shady past and possibly sketchier future. Instead Jordan/Anna is DEA/WSB and the other big issue she has on her plate, one that fills her time when she’s not bringing down bad guys, is dealing with a child (TJ/Robin) whose life has been shrouded by a huge secret.

The focus isn’t on what they bring to the table as “people of color”, it’s what they bring to the table as people. Each individual is layered and nuanced and the minute you think you know any of the members of this family, a new layer is peeled away. At her introduction, the audience asked: Was Jordan back to seduce Shawn and force him to take her in as he’d taken in TJ? Was she back to reclaim her beloved son? Was she using her son to cover her shady connection to the Jeromes? Just when we couldn’t figure out her game, she’s revealed as a DEA agent, in town to clean up PC and find the real drug kingpin. STOP NOW!

If this storyline and this show gets any better, I’ll be looping it all day long and ignoring all other entertainment. Jordan’s story now makes me question Shawn, in particular, and now I wonder what the rest of his story is. Jordan, the DEA agent, would surely never have entrusted the care of her beloved son to a man who was a killer. What does she know about Shawn that either he is hiding or that doesn’t know about himself because someone else is hiding the truth from him?

I can’t wait to find out.

3. Women as diversity? Yes. Women who are strong? Hell yes!

Tracy Q., Carly, and Alexis are, for the moment, in a downward shame spiral, in my opinion. I can accept that more easily, at this time, because they are the exception, no longer the rule. The women of GH have become strong, smart, and capable of standing on their own. Are they perfect? No, but they’re so far ahead of where the women of this show were just a few short years ago.

They’ve transitioned from being either dedicated mob molls (Carly, Robin, Kate/Connie, Olivia) or paid mob mouthpieces (Alexis, Diane). In some cases, they were both (again, Alexis and Diane).

No matter which side of morality/decency/the law we find them, I am thrilled to see Anna, Jordan, Ava, Lucy, Felicia, Britt, Obrecht, Lulu, and others being treated as women with hearts AND brains! There will be a time, I’m sure, when the currently weak GH women, and, yeah – I’m looking at YOU Tracy Quartermaine, will step up to the plate and become strong again, but the balance of women in distress with women taking charge is refreshing.

There have been times when women on GH have felt more like window dressing than people. This is not one of those times.

4. There are almost no weak links on this show, currently.

I’m just not crazy about Sabrina and Patrick. I can’t see a situation that would cause me to root for them as a couple. They simply fall flat for me. Even still, I don’t see them as a “weak link”. I can see what the show’s fans like about them. I just don’t feel it. Sabrina and Carlos, I get. Sabrina with Patrick feels more ike “Flowers in the Attic’ or “Petals in the Wind” than a romantic couple ,for me.

I truly despise Carly and Franco. I cannot understand the writers’ thinking in trying to reform Franco and in making him a frontburner character. Somehow, it feels to me as if Franco should still be a character in the shadows or, more importantly, not a viable character at all. I will accept the very few things I dislike about this show and continue to enjoy those things I love most. GH is currently the only show on the air that I can say that about – a show whose positives far outweigh its negatives.

If you haven’t been watching GH, you’re missing a lot! It’s that good.

I’m not at all a sports fan, but I do understand the sports concept of ‘sudden death’ – I think! As I understand it, ‘sudden death’ refers to the end of a game when teams are tied in score. It’s a sort of ‘overtime’ that ends when the first team posts a score – breaking the tie. Game over! I had that feeling the other day watching Carly and Jax gush over their endless love. They were sure that they’d gotten it right, this time, that nothing would come between them. I cringed. It’s almost always the first sign that trouble is on the horizon. I hope that’s not the case. I like them together. I think they’re one of the best things to happen to GH in a long time and GH desperately needs them if TPTB are going to screw around with SCRUBS love. There’ll be no romance left if SCRUBS loses out and GH_CarJax goes (not to be confused with ATWT_CarJax and the plummeting ratings that happened when they were once again trashed).

Carly has FINALLY found love with someone who doesn’t expect her to be a ‘good girl’ and hide in the shadows while he does business. Carly doesn’t have to leave the room when Jax is on the phone for fear of being legally incriminated. Jax’s business associates have probably never done time – unless it is some wacky white collar crime that lands them in some posh ‘Club Fed’ for a year or two. Jax respects her, and she tries her damnedest to respect him, too. It’s been a long time since Carly has had a relationship with a man who considers her his equal. All the happy-happy-joy-joy she spreads, now, is so much better than the angry posturing she did while with Sonny. She seems happier. She looks happier. She can no longer be compared to an angry pitbull, biting before thinking. HELL, I’M happier just watching the love Carly and Jax share.

SO! If there’s going to be a ‘sudden death’ for Jax and Carly, let it be this: let the writers realize that Jax and Carly are pretty much tied with Carly and Sonny in terms of the lifetime of crazy drama each couple has suffered. Let the writers realize that J&C have probably hit restart on their relationship as often as C&S have. At this point, Carly and Jax have broken the tie… they’ve managed to stay together and work harder on their relationship than Carly and Sonny have ever dreamed of doing. Sudden death in favor of GH_ CARJAX! It’s time to set aside the epic that was Carly and Sonny and focus on the JC relationship. Sonny and Carly are the past, as they should be.

Liz and… Patrick? Sudden Death

With future spoilers suggesting Liz’s ever growing presence in the lives of Robin and Patrick, I’d be willing to venture a guess that putting Liz and Patrick together would be a different sort o f ‘sudden death’ for Elizabeth Webber. She’ll have tied any record of insane moves for a GH character and BROKEN it. I think it would be the end of her character, as we know it, and that fans will finally have run out patience with the character.

Her relationship with Zander (Cam’s father) left me with blurred vision. How the hell did THAT happen? Lucky, no Jason, no Lucky, no Zander, no Lucky, no Jason… possibly Patrick!?!?! If Liz’ presence in SCRUBS’ life is to provide support to Robin, and to continue to be there as a FRIEND to both of them, I’m all for it. Otherwise? thanks but no. It’s time to have not-Emily-but-Rebecca and Elizabeth Webber climb the Cassadine tower-of-death that so many GH characters seem to keep leaping from, never to be seen or heard of again!

Ethan, Sudden Death

I’d actually have to not have a pulse to care less about Ethan. I’m still trying to figure out what purpose he serves? My preference would be for him to be a relative of Holly’s, a nephew perhaps, to scam Luke and make off with the last of Luke’s cash. I’d hoped in the past that Ethan was around to help Luke realize what a colossal ass he’s been and to turn his life around. He’s spent almost no time caring for or helping to raise his children. He’s left them to their own devices (not exactly a tribute to his love for Laura), so I would be completely without sympathy for the man if Ethan is pulling one of the greatest cons in GH history: conning the con! Ethan hitting Lucky? Not cool, not cool at all.

After that, Ethan can go wherever in the world he wants, as long as he goes. He can climb the Cassadine tower WITH not-Emily-but-Rebecca and Elizabeth Spencer. GH’s canvas is already littered with great characters who never see the light of day. Give me a three-fer, Christmas in March – if you will.

In this case, sudden death isn’t a sports reference, it’s a suggestion. Get rid of these three. They serve no purpose other than to stick a thumb in the eye of GH fans who deserve better. The most interesting thing I could say about the loss of Elizabeth, is that there could be a great custody battle for young Cam and Jake, if anything happened to her. Count me in as part of “Team Lucky”!